Aspasia Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We're moving to a new area and I'm starting to look for new medical providers. Do any of you go to a family practice? Do you like it? Do you prefer it to separate doctors? I guess I'm just kind of clueless but curious about them. We've always seen separate pediatricians and OB/GYNs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 No. I tried but it didn't work for our particular family and this particular family practice. (I could have looked for others but didn't). In our case, I have complicated health that a family practitioner just can't handle. And now that my dd has a rare pediatric diagnosis we really need specialists for her. The kids could probably go to a family doctor for normal things but it seems to work better with our pediatrician. Esp. after the family practitioner kept asking me if different things were developmentally normal or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 Esp. after the family practitioner kept asking me if different things were developmentally normal or not. What??? Okay, that's unsettling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Our General Practitioners have been great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We do. We all do yearly well visits, and dh and I do extra checkups for ongoing minor medical issues, and the occasional sick/injured visit. It is very convenient having everyone go to the same place - for example when we ALL had strep throat. We all went in together to one office, and were out again in the time it would have taken us to go to just the ped, or just our doc. We love our doc. She works hard to stay up to date on current best practices, and she has 2 PAs who focus on different areas - one on peds and one on alternative medicines - as well as a nutritionist on staff, so she really tries to cover as much as she can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I go to an OB/GYN for annual check-ups, but other than that, we've always gone to a family practice. My kids have never been to a pediatrician. In our experience, family practices have been far more laid back and gave me credit for making informed decisions versus pushing vaccines and exams I didn't think were necessary. It has worked well for our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Our whole family sees the same doc and we are all very pleased. We've been with this one since my oldest was a baby and we really do have a relationship with him as a person, not just a doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 What??? Okay, that's unsettling. Yes. My dd was only a baby but the doctor didn't know normal child development. Fortunately dd was my second child and I had had child development classes in college but still! But - obviously one clueless doctor does not indicate that all family practitioners are clueless. But also - be aware that they do not get as much training in stuff like child development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We have all gone to a family practice doctor since we moved to this town 15 years ago. He is wonderful and knows us. I still go to a OB/GYN and dd has an allergist, but our family doc has been awesome. He has lab and x-rays in the office - it is a group practice. We get same day appointments when we're sick. He refills my migraine meds without ever treating me like I'm seeking drugs. He found younger dd's food allergies and supported our search for answers for her tummy troubles. He was the one to tell me she isn't colicky but has a food allergy when she was 4 months old. He also supports not vax'ing her. He has told us several times to avoid newly recommended shots because he didn't think they were tested well enough. When we have a family bug, we all go in at the same time, and he know's which ones will be fine with watchful waiting and which will need more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Depending on what insurance we have, sometimes I've seen family practice doctor and other times I've seen pediatricians. I greatly prefer the family doctors. Generally I found the family doctors (at least around here), tend to be more on time for appointments (I've waited 1-2 hours past appointment time for a ped or OB sometimes), they spend more time actually talking to me about the issue, they trust my judgement/gut feeling on things (one ped told me that my slightly later than usual to talk son wasn't talking because he stayed home with during the day instead of being around kids in daycare all day and that I needed to "fix" this problem and get him around more kids - and he is the highest recommended ped in my area. The funny part about the talking thing is that on my husbands side there is a long family history of late talkers who start talking in sentences. Ped didn't care, 2 months after said appointment, kiddo pulled out a book and told me the name of all the letters of the alphabet (I hadn't told him any of them, he learned them from an electronic book) and started counting to 50.), they don't give me a hard time about delayed vax or homeschooling, they will treat multiple children even if the appointment was only for 1 kid, if the need arises, they take family history and lifestyle in consideration when making a treatment rather than just taking a checklist approach. Generally speaking they make me feel like they are a partner with me to help achieve better health for me/my kids verses the specialists who tend to come across as they have all the answers and I don't really know much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We mostly see just our family doctor and it's been great. I still see an OB/GYN yearly and both dds also see a pediatric allergist for asthma and allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 My girls and I see a Family Practitioner in a solo practice- and her nurse doubles as the secretary. DH sees another MD, but that is due to a bad fit between the family doc's offic hours and his work schedule. We also see a pediatric orthopedist for a minor bone conditon when needed, and a foot/ankle specialist- all ages/adult practice- when necessary. We have never waited long after our appointment time, and she will schedule all 4 of us together for annual physicals. I don't see her for gyn checks, only because I still see my midwives for that. My girls have been evry comfortable there- they wanted a female doctor, and really didn;t like the "teddy bears and lollipops" atmosphere of pediatricians offices. Plus it is SO NICE to not be surrounded by a horde of sick kids and screaming babies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 We all see a family practitioner as our primary care manager. I see neurologists for some issues and DS2 sees a developmental pediatrician and other specialists as needed, but the FP doc is who we see when we get sick or for checkups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Yes, we see a family practice for general care, as well as for my children. I wasn't happy with any of the pediatricians we found... I do see a midwife/ob practice for gynecological health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 It really will depend on the doctor and practice IMHO. The local practice of family doctors is a mob scene (more than a dozen providers in a huge office), and they're not known for individual attention. We used to use them on a weekend/evening when our regular doctors were closed, and they were fine for an occasional strep throat or such, but not much more. We since have found a solo former ER doc with an N.P. that operates a walk-in clinic that we like better for that type of thing. DH and I go to a solo internist who is very well-read on alternative therapies and chronic issues, and we really like her and the office. The downside is that she is solo. The kids go to the ped doc practice. They have a separate teen waiting room away from the babies, and have very attentive, parent-respecting doctors of both sexes. Mine prefer to see a same-sex doctor for their physicals. So no, I wouldn't say that universally a family doctor is best. It really depends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Our whole family sees the same doc and we are all very pleased. We've been with this one since my oldest was a baby and we really do have a relationship with him as a person, not just a doctor. Same here. I go to a separate doctor/CNM for female issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I see an internist for everything (including the female stuff). The boys still go to a pediatrician, but I'd like to move them to either my internist (not sure what his age minimum is) or to a family doctor. DH sees his cardiologist regularly but doesn't really have a primary care doc. His work staffs a full-time nurse and two part-time PAs, so they can handle most minor stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
placeofgrace Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I go to an OB/GYN for annual check-ups, but other than that, we've always gone to a family practice. My kids have never been to a pediatrician. In our experience, family practices have been far more laid back and gave me credit for making informed decisions versus pushing vaccines and exams I didn't think were necessary. It has worked well for our family. This is exactly what we do too. I go to an OB/GYN once a year and ds has never been to a pediatrician. We've never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Yes, we do. It's nice because the doctors have relationships with the whole family. One thing that is totally avoided is the stuff I read about on here frequently in which there is a struggle over control between physician and parent that seems almost adversarial at times when I read other posts. It seems like pediatricians are more likely to engage in that. Our family docs respect us as parents. I think it also gives the doctors a bigger perspective when treating the kids. The oldest is the only one who ever went to a ped. We switched when he was about 2. There is never a problem with getting referrals when we need them (though our insurance doesn't usually require them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 No. I tried but it didn't work for our particular family and this particular family practice. (I could have looked for others but didn't). In our case, I have complicated health that a family practitioner just can't handle. And now that my dd has a rare pediatric diagnosis we really need specialists for her. The kids could probably go to a family doctor for normal things but it seems to work better with our pediatrician. This. DS has seen half a dozen different doctors everything from a holistic leaning NP to family doctors to several different pediatricians. After an exhaustive 2 years search I drive 45 minutes each way for an awesome pediatrician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Yes. I like that the doctors know my whole family, they have all our records in one place including family history, we don't have to switch doctors when we get to a certain age. I like that the doctors are knowledgeable about a wide range of issues instead of being limited to those of one age-set. We switched to this practice when a ped tried to pull rank on me when my daughter was an infant. The doctors actually listen to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 We do. We go to a practice with doctors that are all internists/general practitioners and pediatricians. It is very nice because any doctor can see me or my kids. :hurray: My doctor asks if I want a pap at my yearly physical, so I can choose to use her or my Gyn. Either way is fine with her. They aren't tied to any certain hospital/lab/xray so they recommend who is covered by our insurance or who they think does a better job. We used to go to a specialty practice for everything, and it is sooo much nicer this way. I still go to a derm for mole removal etc but get my acne treatment meds from my GP. We have been referred out for speciality care a few times (ENT for tonsil removal, Woman's center for issue that couldn't be easily diagnosed, PT/OT but we would have been referred out no matter where were went for those items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 We do, because that's all our town has. But, we love it. Everyone in our family has seen the same doctor since we have lived here. He delivered our two children who were born here, attended plays our children have been in, came to their graduation open houses. It's great because he knows our medical history so well, and we don't have to explain things over and over again to different doctors each time. We go to specialists when we need to, but we we always send a copy of any tests, etc., to our family doctor so that he has a record of everything at his fingertips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 But also - be aware that they do not get as much training in stuff like child development. This will vary a lot by residency. My DH is an FP and had quite a bit of peds during residency. Same with my brother who is currently in an FP residency :). But DH does say that he learned a lot more about peds just having kids of his own :). If you get one with a young patient population, they're generally pretty good because they do it all the time. IME, the pediatricians around here tend to be a little less relaxed about things than the FPs (for instance, a friend was told by a ped to quit breast feeding her 3mo so much because she thought the baby was gaining weight too fast. *eyeroll*). Word-of-mouth recommendations are always your best bet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Patty, PM me and tell me who it is. I haven't been able to PM you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I use a midwife for pregnancy-related issues, but for everything else, including my general well-woman checkups, the children and I see a lovely female doctor in a family practice (and DH sees a male doctor in the same practice; if/when the boys are more comfortable with a male, I'll see about switching to DH's doctor). I *have* used pediatricians in the past but prefer the general approach of a family doctor who sees everyone, and this doctor is very nice, young, friendly, and pleasant with the kids. She also seems to be on top of small-child sorts of issues -- she was right on top of DS3's (benign) infant heart murmur and got us the referral we needed for an echocardiogram, and when I have wanted specialist assistance for speech therapy or allergy testing for the kids, she's concurred with me and has had no problems referring us. I don't know if it helps that she's pretty young (like, I think she's just been practicing for a couple of years), so she's had good, current training on what's right for very young children, or that she knows I'm an experienced mom and don't need a lot of the "here's how to parent an infant" sort of stuff that peds tend to give new moms, or what, but she does tend not to get too worried about anything unless I'm concerned, which I very much appreciate. My friend and her kids see a different female doctor in the same practice and really like her too. The one drawback (maybe?) to a family practice is that the waiting and exam rooms aren't the most kid-inviting in the world; I noticed that with our previous family practice in a different state as well. Fewer toys, and the decor is nice but not "kid." (Otoh, our dental practice is ped-specific, and it's all kid-friendly, as is the staff; the staff at our family doctor is very nice but also not geared toward *kid* like the dental practice is. But that's also nice for our tween, who is somewhat sensitive to being treated like she's young, and I like that she can continue seeing this doc in her teen years without feeling awkward. And fewer toys means less of a germ factory. So it's not really a drawback, unless there's a delay and a long wait.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Also, I think one thing that makes a family doc helpful for small children is if you are in an area where a referral to a specialist is easy. We are (like, when the baby got the echocardiogram, it was done at a local hospital and sent up the road just a bit to the pediatric heart specialists at Hershey Medical Center for review, and HMC is close enough that we could easily see their specialists), and so I think that helps; if the family doctor has any concerns about being out of her depth, she has a wealth of specialists, especially pediatric-specific ones, at her disposal. Otoh, in an area with fewer options, I might prefer to see a doctor who saw a larger percentage of young children, just to be sure her definition of normal was as extensive as possible, if that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 We've been with the same family practice since ds20 was four months old :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 My DDs' pediatrician moved out of state. I don't like the other pediatrician who they'd be seeing at that practice instead (we had to see him when the regular ped. was out of the office), so now they'll most likely go to the same family practice where DH and I have check-ups scheduled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 We do. The practice has several doctors and I tend to see a different one for my concerns than the one I go to with the boys. 'My' doctor has been trained in IUDs and such, so I tend to go to her for everything. The boys' doctor is particularly good at talking to children, rather than at them or over their heads. If he wasn't available, I would have no problem taking the boys to 'my' doctor. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 DD had a family prac doc when we first moved to our area a few years ago. She was wonderful. Very thorough, tested very regularly (almost too much), caught the dairy allergy which a pediatrician completely blew off and said not to worry about when I mentioned dd's eczema, and was always up on giving me the latest developmental checklists and safety handouts. Unfortunately, she has gone concierge service and it's just not something we're going to afford right now on top of regular health insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Our daughters have an amazing pediatrician and we're very happy with her. As an added bonus she will still admit her own patients as long as they don't require a PICU level of care [and she or one of her partners will at least see them and decide rather than just pass off to the intensivist so she can go back to sleep]. The IM practice my husband and I use consists of two straight IM, two IM/Peds, and an IM/Peds-Cardiologist who actually owns their office space and thus uses it three afternoons a week even though they are mostly hospital based. Their IM/Peds docs see kids and I would probably see if one of them would see our girls if their pediatrician ever left the area. In the meantime, she really is amazing and we're very happy with them there. She just hired a new associate so I'm guessing she will be sticking around. We actually met her on Saturday because our pediatrician was giving her a tour while making her Saturday morning rounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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